The Offrotie Story

Our Story

Our first Trip Together

In the summer of 2020, our first trip outside of Germany began. After a few lockdown months thanks to the pandemic, we were finally ready to test our Vanlifer skills—or more accurately, figure out what being a Vanlifer actually meant. We kicked off our adventure with just two old chairs and a heap of enthusiasm. This trip was the ultimate litmus test, making us question if we were truly cut out for vanlife. Spoiler alert: we emerged not only stronger but also with a treasure trove of knowledge about what we really wanted and how we wanted to embrace this new lifestyle. Turns out, all we needed was a little trial by fire... and maybe some comfier chairs.

Our Story

Our Longest trip to date

In the summer of 2021, we set out on an epic adventure, eager to put our newly developed vanlifer skills to the ultimate test. Our six-week journey spanned seven European countries. Starting in the Austrian Alps, we crossed into Liechtenstein before heading to Italy, where we savored its famous cuisine. A ferry took us to Sardinia for our first kite surfing sessions.

Back on mainland Italy, we ferried across the Adriatic to Albania, discovering our love for offroading despite a lingering fear of rocks. We continued through Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, before returning to Germany. This diverse and challenging journey left us more knowledgeable, and excited for future adventures. Our vanlife journey had truly begun, and we couldn't wait to see where it would take us next.

Our Story

Social Media Journey begins

On this day, we launched our Instagram channel, Offrotie. The idea blossomed from our adventures over the past two years, as we realized we wanted to share our experiences and express ourselves creatively. Erick's passion for photography and video editing, combined with Nicky's keen eye for colors and decoration, proved to be the perfect mix.

The name Offrotie has its own unique story. Rotie, the name of our campervan, originated from the need to incorporate the ROT acronym, required for our Rothenburg license plate. Adding the vowels "IE" and the number 888 to symbolize infinity, we completed the name. During our return trip from the Abenteuer & Allrad fair in Bavaria, the "OFF" from offroad naturally clicked, and thus, Offrotie was born.

Our Story

Our Overland Journey takes off

Rotie was a 4x4 van from day one, ordered specifically for its offroad capability. However, we had never fully utilized this feature until the day we decided to cement our passion for offroad adventures with specialized training. This training pushed our understanding of Rotie's capabilities, and we were pleasantly surprised to see our Fiat Ducato with the Dangel 4x4 system compete alongside renowned names like Sprinters.

The fusion of Vanlife and Overlanding was finally complete.

Our Story

The year our vision started to form

This year was one of the most transformative of our lives. As our community grew, so did we. Our social media skills improved, our passion for creativity intensified, and our knowledge of vanlife and overlanding deepened. We reached the limits of what was available in the market, sparking a desire to innovate.

Fueled by ideas, we began experimenting with solutions to our own vanlife challenges. These experiments became the foundation of our mission to design and produce tailored solutions. A call with Marcel, Nicky's brother, sealed our fate: we were going to bring these ideas to life.

Our Story

Offrotie solutions hit the road for the first time

After months of brainstorming, countless design iterations, and rigorous testing, the first Offrotie solutions began shipping to our vanlife community. Driven by our commitment to address common challenges, we took action to create effective solutions. We are thrilled to fulfill that promise and enhance your journey with our products.

More Vanlife, Better Living!